The Minors
by Morning Glory Conlon
Summary: This story is about the characters no one really writes about. Skittery meets a girl who causes trouble leading a double life no one knows about. Dutchy falls for the sweet innocent girl. Specs and Liv are the only ones who have figured it all out! What h


            Skittery walked into the lodging house he had had a long day of selling and all he wanted to do was relax. He dragged himself up to the bunkroom and flopped on his bunk dramatically sighing heavily as he did. Skittery removed his brown cabbie hat from his head, his hair sticking up every which way. Columbia watched Skittery as he did all this with a slight smirk on her face, "Long day?" She asked already knowing the answer.

            "Whad gave id away?" Skittery asked rolling over onto his back and patting down his hair.

            "I'm not sure if it was the heavy sigh that gave it away or the flopping dramatically to your bunk." Columbia closed her journal of urban legends and walked over to Skittery's bunk and sat down, "Wanna talk about it?"

            Skittery hauled him self up so he was sitting facing Col. Something about her brown eyes let him know that if he were to tell her something she would listen. Skittery smiled, "Nah, I'se really don' wanna bore yah wid me horrible day."

            Specs and Dutchy walked into the bunkroom, "Heya Skittery…ah sorry about yer papes." Specs said pushing his spectacles back up on his nose. He wasn't sure whether it was going to be a touchy subject with Skittery or not.

            "Yeah man, d'at kid had no right tah take 'em like d'at." Dutchy had witnessed the whole ordeal. 

            Columbia looked over at the two and then back at Skittery raising an eyebrow, "You don't wanna bore me with your day?" She asked him, "Sounds like you had a interesting day to me."

            "Nothin' big happened. Jus' sellin' me papes and I put them down an' toined me back fer a second an' some snot nose kid stole me papes. I saw 'im take 'em and wen' aftah dah kid, but los' 'em in a crowd." Skittery shrugged, "If I'se evah see d'at kid again d'eys gotta thin' or two comin' tah d'em."

            Dutchy and Specs stood there holding back there laughs. That wasn't exactly how it had happened, "Surprised yah don' gotta black eye d'ere." Dutchy laughed and then walked to his bunk. 

            "Dah kid didn' hit so hard." Skittery scowled at them. He placed his hand to his eye and then stood up, "I'se goin' fer a walk." Skittery said bitterly as he pushed passed Liv.

            "Well excuse you..." Liv said walking into the bunkroom backwards watching Skittery leave, "What's his problem?" Liv pulled her brown curly hair back into a ponytail.

            Specs watched Liv walked into the room, "Hey lovah boy close yer mouth before dah flies get in." Dutchy said elbowing his friend.

            "Huh?" Specs shook his head out of the trance he was in and closed his mouth, "Whad 're you'se talkin' about." He scoffed. He looked at Liv one more time and then headed over to his bunk. Specs picked up a book and pretended to read it while watching Liv over the edge.

            "Some kid stole his papers." Columbia said walking over to her bunk, "So now he's throwing a hissy fit." Col grabbed her journal and walked down to the lobby. She situated her self on Kloppman's desk.

            "Oh.." Live smirked a little and walked over to the fire escape and climbed out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Skittery walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. He kicked a small stone down the street not paying attention to where he was going or kicking the pebble, "Ow…" A blonde haired green-eyed girl stood up, "Watch where you are kicking stones."

            Skittery looked at the girl who was talking to him, "Sorry about d'at." He said as he continued to walk. The girl stood up quickly and walked after Skittery falling in step with him.

            "So that's it? No name or anything?" She asked being her usual pushy self. 

            "Whad do yah wan'? I said I'se was sorry." Skittery wasn't in the mood to make new friends right now, not after the day he had had.

            "Well my name's Heather." She said extending her hand to him. Skittery looked at her hand and then at her.

            "Skittery." He said. Skitts studied Heather carefully. She looked familiar he had seen her on the streets some where before. Heather bit her lip and then smiled, "Have I'se seen you'se some wheah before?" He asked.

            Heather knew exactly where she had seen Skittery. He had been nice enough to leaned her fifty papers today, "Nope, I am new around here." 

            Skittery nodded, "You gotta place tah stay?" He asked.

            "Not yet working on that." Heather said as the two of them walked down the street, "I am staying at the orphanage down the street right now, not the greatest place." She shrugged. Heather hoped he wouldn't notice who she was. She had made him awful mad earlier today.

            "Thought you said you were new around here and had no place to stay?" He asked her.

            "Ah, I am new around here just got here a few days ago." She lied. Heather had been in New York for a while she stayed at an orphanage and had been watching the newsie and their freedom. She hoped that if she could become friends with them, then they would help her out and become a newsie. Heather had tried to escape from the orphanage a few times, but it never worked. Skittery shook his head not caring really to figure out what was going on, "Are you normally this nice to people when you first meet them?"

            "Sorry I'se had a bad day. Some snot nose brat stole me papes now I'se back on rent and ain't got money fer dinnah tanigh'." Skittery said looking at her then forewords again, "Yah shoah we'se haven' met?"

            "Yeah, I am sure." She said to him.

            "Cause you look-"

            "No, you don't know me." Heather said, "I've gotta go." She smiled at him one last time and then ran off down the street. Skittery watched her leave. He swore he knew her.

            "Oh well." He said walking back towards the lodging house, "I'll jus' fin' out who she is tamarra."


End file.
